The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, by Walter Scott

Jellon Grame.

Never Before Published.

This ballad is published from tradition, with some conjectural emendations. It is corrected by a copy in Mrs Brown’s MS., from which it differs in the concluding stanzas. Some verses are apparently modernized.

Jellon seems to be the same name with Jyllian or Julian. “Jyl of Brentford’s Testament” is mentioned in Warton’s History of Poetry, Vol. II. p. 40. The name repeatedly occurs in old ballads, sometimes as that of a man, at other times as that of a woman. Of the former is an instance in the ballad of “Knight and the Shepherd’s Daughter,”— Reliques of Ancient Poetry, Vol. III. p. 72.

Some do call me Jack, sweetheart.

And some do call me Jille.

Witton Gilbert, a village four miles west of Durham, is, throughout the bishopric, pronounced Witton Jilbert. We have also the common name of Giles, always in Scotland pronounced Jill. For Gille, or Julianna, as a female name, we have Fair Gillian of Croyden, and a thousand authorities. Such being the case, the editor must enter his protest against the conversion of Gil Morrice, into child Maurice, an epithet of chivalry. All the circumstances in that ballad argue, that the unfortunate hero was an obscure and very young man, who had never received the honour of knighthood. At any rate, there can be no reason, even were internal evidence totally wanting, for altering a well known proper name, which, till of late years, has been the uniform title of the ballad.

317 Silverwood, mentioned in this ballad, occurs in a medley MS song, which seems to have been copied from the first edition of the Aberdeen caurus, penes John G. Dalyell, esq. advocate. One line only is cited, apparently the beginning of some song: